Everyone has bad days, but after Alexander Cooper has a superbly bad day at school and his family can’t relate, he wishes that they all could know what it was like to have a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day too.
The movie opens with light narration from the main character, Alexander, setting up the story and then taking you to the day before to show you how it all began, and finally bringing the audience full circle in present day.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day touches upon a lot of different family dynamics to give audiences relatable characters, if not always relatable situations. Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner work better than you might first think as Mr. and Mrs. Cooper, Carell playing the out of work stay-at-home “Fommy” (Father/Mommy) and Garner playing the bread winner with a job that dominates most of her time and energy. The various ages of the Cooper children from infant to preteen and teen give a wide range of story lines as well. While it is safe to say families will most likely relate to having trouble fitting in, peer pressure or an unemployed spouse, it is probably rare that many families will relate to finding an alligator in their swimming pool or having a car door torn off during their first driver’s test. At least, let us hope.
Your day will feel not so bad after watching this movie.
Fans of Disney will enjoy all of the references to other favorite Disney films sprinkled throughout the script and even a cameo by the beloved Dick Van Dyke!
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day delivers plenty of great laughs, with some corny gags, an overall heartwarming and fun family film with a great message about the importance of facing adversity as a family, staying positive, but also in honoring your unhappy feelings too.
In the end, sometimes a bad day might turn out better than you thought, even a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day:[usr 3]
About Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Synopsis: Everyone has bad days, but after Alexander Cooper has a superbly bad day at school and his family can’t relate, he wishes that they all could know what it was like to have a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day too.
Director: Miguel Arteta
Writers: Rob Lieber, Judith Viorst
Stars: Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, Ed Oxenbould, Dylan Minnette, Kerris Dorsey, Elise Vargas, Zoey Vargas
Rated: PG
Runtime: 81 min
Opens: October 10, 2014
